Chapter 170: Artifact Refining Technique

Compared to Zhang Liusun, Mei Qing’s manner of speaking was inevitably more direct. However, both Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun were seasoned schemers, so they didn’t particularly care about his tone.

“Oh?” Xu Fu stared coldly at Mei Qing. “Do you really think you have the qualifications to discuss agreements or disagreements with us two? I’ve already settled things with the little Zhang fellow. If you insist on hesitating…”

As he spoke, Xu Fu assumed a threatening posture, as if ready to attack.

Truth be told, although Mei Qing was currently the only one still maintaining his restraining techniques, facing the combined assault of these two supreme experts would undoubtedly be a dire situation.

Yet Mei Qing remained completely unfazed. Without waiting for Xu Fu to act, he spoke calmly, “Senior Xu, if you’re not afraid of your bronze automaton going haywire or damaging the mother cauldron, then by all means, take my life. After all, Mr. Zhang will surely side with you.”

Mei Qing’s words were blunt, yet they effectively froze Xu Fu in place, halting all his movements.

Xu Fu glanced at Zhang Liusun, but the latter simply wore a disinterested expression, neither supporting nor opposing. Suppressing his anger, Xu Fu turned back to glare fiercely at Mei Qing, his voice low and sharp, “Then what exactly do you want?”

Mei Qing replied unhurriedly, “Though this subsidiary cauldron may not be of much use to me, both esteemed seniors clearly desire it. Now that you wish me to hand it over, whether it’s for Mr. Zhang’s body restoration or eventually to belong to Senior Xu, taking something from a junior should warrant some form of compensation, shouldn’t it?”

Xu Fu angrily replied, “You young brat are truly insatiable! You’ve already unjustly obtained my treasure cauldron, and now you dare to demand things from me?”

Mei Qing smiled, “How can you say I obtained your treasure cauldron unjustly? When did you ever hand it over to me? Anyway, if you refuse, the cauldron is right here. Come and take it if you dare!”

Saying this, Mei Qing raised his hands and cast several more talismans onto the bronze automaton, creating an even more imposing effect than the previous formation.

Now, both Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun had already removed their restraining formations, leaving only Mei Qing’s still active. Since Mei Qing’s own techniques wouldn’t hinder him, he could feel the support from the mother cauldron within his body, and his true energy had already recovered to its peak, even surpassing previous levels, making his magical techniques more effortless than ever.

Xu Fu gritted his teeth in frustration, never expecting this young man to be so devious. He hadn’t said anything earlier or later, but waited until Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun had finalized their plans and removed their restraining techniques before suddenly making his move.

Yet he couldn’t really blame the other party for this. After all, he and Zhang Liusun had treated Mei Qing as if he were invisible, deciding everything without consulting him. Now that the young man had spoken out against it, Xu Fu really couldn’t say anything more.

Seeing Mei Qing casually placing talismans on the bronze automaton while feeling his own energy depleted, Xu Fu realized that any forced action might not yield good results. With Zhang Liusun clearly unwilling to assist him, he could only curse his misfortune and hate Mei Qing to the core.

Observing Xu Fu’s gritted teeth and glaring eyes, Mei Qing understood that he had deeply provoked this immortal cultivator. However, he had no choice but to do so; otherwise, once the two formed an alliance, they might very well strip him bare and divide his remains. Mei Qing needed to incite conflict between them, preventing them from uniting, so that he could find a place to stand.

“Fine, fine, fine!” Xu Fu said with three “fines,” his tone icy cold as he hissed, “What do you want before you’ll agree? Let’s hear it!”

Mei Qing smiled, “If I ask for something, will Senior really give it? What if I ask for this bronze automaton? Will Senior be willing to part with it?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Fu’s anger flared uncontrollably. His triangular eyes flared as he prepared to erupt.

Before he could even speak, however, Mei Qing continued, “Actually, being a junior, how could I dare to ask seniors for favors or be choosy? Whatever Senior deems appropriate, just give me a couple of things. As long as Mei Qing can use them, I naturally won’t object.”

Suddenly lowering his stance like this, Mei Qing left Xu Fu unable to vent his anger. Thinking again about Mei Qing’s words, though he said “just give me a couple of things,” he emphasized “as long as I can use them,” clearly implying that anything he deemed unusable would naturally be considered worthless. His words were thoroughly cheeky, taking every advantage, yet leaving others unable to retaliate.

Xu Fu, furious to the point of laughter, pointed at Mei Qing and said, “Fine, fine, fine! Truly worthy of being the split body of that Zhang brat. Once you become clear-headed, you might even surpass Zhang himself. Since that’s the case, I’ll just have to spend a bit more.”

Saying this, he flicked his hand and shot out a green light directly toward Mei Qing.

Mei Qing, not daring to be careless, quickly reached out and caught it—it was a jade-shaped tablet.

“This jade tablet contains my techniques for forging artifacts,” Xu Fu explained. “Though I wouldn’t dare claim they’re unparalleled in the world, they are indeed handed down from ancient times and possess formidable power. Offering this as compensation should be sufficient, shouldn’t it?”

Though Xu Fu’s words and actions seemed to show appreciation for Mei Qing, and the gift was indeed generous, his intentions were far from pure. His comment that Mei Qing might even surpass Zhang was clearly meant to provoke Zhang Liusun into wariness toward Mei Qing. Moreover, giving Mei Qing the artifact forging techniques was essentially setting him up for trouble.

As the saying goes, possessing a valuable treasure can itself be a crime. Originally, this forging technique was the bet Zhang Liusun had wanted to win from Xu Fu. Now, due to Mei Qing’s interference, neither side could clearly claim victory, and the bet had become an empty promise. However, by giving the forging techniques to Mei Qing, Xu Fu was effectively ensuring that even if Mei Qing left safely, Zhang Liusun would never let him go.

Though Mei Qing understood Xu Fu’s intentions, he accepted the jade tablet without hesitation, even thanking Xu Fu. Then, using his spiritual sense, he quickly scanned the contents of the tablet, secretly chuckling to himself.

It turned out that the characters inscribed on the tablet were all ancient cloud script. If this fell into the hands of others, it would be completely useless. But for Mei Qing, it was extremely valuable.

Focusing intently, Mei Qing memorized the contents of the tablet within moments, carefully reviewing them in his mind. Then, turning to Zhang Liusun, he said, “Senior Xu has already given a generous gift. I suppose Mr. Zhang won’t make things difficult for me either, right?”

Zhang Liusun didn’t immediately respond. He tilted his head, thinking for a moment, before smiling and saying, “If Old Xu has artifact forging techniques, don’t I? But unlike Old Xu, I won’t go through such tedious old methods to give someone a technique. Take this!”

As he spoke, he directly transmitted a spiritual message to Mei Qing.

Mei Qing was momentarily stunned, not expecting Zhang Liusun to be so generous. However, upon careful examination, the message indeed contained genuine artifact forging techniques. Judging from the general content, they were quite similar to the techniques passed down by Zhang Shisan. Zhang Shisan had once mentioned that the Celestial Master sect was not particularly known for forging techniques. However, the methods transmitted by Zhang Liusun, though bearing traces of the Celestial Master sect, were far more refined and exquisite.

Zhang Liusun said, “When it comes to artifact forging techniques, each sect in the Daoist world has its own specialties. However, my method here is unique, differing from other sects. Moreover, your background is closely related to this technique. If you study and practice it diligently, it will greatly benefit you.”

While Mei Qing was still puzzled, Xu Fu snickered coldly and said, “Hmph! So you’re being this underhanded. You want that subsidiary cauldron, so you naturally want this clumsy kid to learn this technique to extract it. Even if he doesn’t take it, won’t you have to let him know your method? Now you’re giving it to him—what are you trying to gain?”

Zhang Liusun didn’t defend himself but instead turned to Mei Qing and said, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Actually, it would be more beneficial for you to extract the subsidiary cauldron now. Otherwise, you’ll suffer some discomfort when leaving the mother cauldron.”

Mei Qing thought for a moment without speaking, then closed his eyes and pondered deeply before opening them again and saying, “Thank you for the advice, but no need.”

Saying this, he moved his hands rapidly, imprinting several talismans onto his body.

Xu Fu frowned slightly but remained silent.

After seeing those talismans, Zhang Liusun still wore a smile, though it now carried a hint of coldness.

In fact, Zhang Liusun’s special reminder to Mei Qing wasn’t entirely out of goodwill. Actually, it would be more ideal for Mei Qing to keep the subsidiary cauldron inside him until leaving the entire area. If Mei Qing extracted it now, Zhang Liusun had other plans.

Whether Mei Qing had genuinely accepted his advice or had seen through his intentions, Mei Qing’s actions completely surprised Zhang Liusun. Though he didn’t extract the subsidiary cauldron, he immediately applied the talismans he had just learned, sealing the cauldron inside his body.

Mei Qing’s actions could certainly be seen as making it easier to retrieve the cauldron later, free from the mother cauldron’s influence. Conversely, it could also be interpreted as a determined effort to protect the cauldron forcefully. At this moment, Zhang Liusun couldn’t quite figure out Mei Qing’s true intentions.

Reflecting on Mei Qing’s performance, Zhang Liusun grew increasingly apprehensive. Initially, he had been delighted at the thought of meeting Zhang’s split body. Later, upon realizing Mei Qing was someone else’s soul fragment, he had been furious, not giving much thought to Mei Qing’s true identity. Now, as Mei Qing’s performance became increasingly impressive, Zhang Liusun’s interest in him grew significantly.

Never would he have imagined that, after staying secluded for so long, another formidable figure had emerged in the cultivation world. Fortunately, this young man was still young. In a few more years, perhaps even he himself would have to yield a place to him?

Thinking thus, Zhang Liusun’s gaze involuntarily turned even colder.

Mei Qing smiled, “Since both esteemed seniors have bestowed such generous gifts, I naturally shouldn’t continue to hoard the subsidiary cauldron. However, this place is not suitable for further cultivation. Once Senior Xu escorts us both out, I will naturally hand the subsidiary cauldron over to Mr. Zhang. As for any future disputes between the two seniors, I hope you won’t trouble me anymore.”

Xu Fu snorted, while Zhang Liusun simply smiled.

Mei Qing continued, “In that case, allow me to first lift my restraining techniques, and then the three of us can leave this place together. What do the two esteemed seniors think?”

Xu Fu replied, “That’s acceptable. However, what about my bronze automaton? Do you intend to take it out of the cauldron with you? Return it to me now.”

Mei Qing nodded, “What would I do with this bronze automaton? Since Senior desires it, here it is!”

Saying this, he raised his hand, and the bronze automaton floated lightly into the air, flying straight toward Xu Fu.